Proof of Existence
by Jcthegirl
Summary: Xion ponders the Castle That Never Was when she stumbles across an unfamiliar room. As some things are better left unspoken, some things are better left unseen. Oneshot.


__Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and all of its respective characters, places, etc. belong to Square Enix and Disney.__

_This is just a drabble that kind of became a bit longer than a drabble, somewhere where I put down my own thoughts and observations._

_Please do enjoy.  
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><p><em>Proof of Existence<em>

The Castle That Never Was was, simply put, an eerie entity.

Constantly bathed in the pallid rays of a never-waning moon, it was as if the castle itself absorbed the artificial "sunlight" to be given off from within. There was no need for lights to brighten the dull halls; they seemed to keep their incessant ivory at all times of the dark days. For a place so close to the darkness, there never seemed to be many shadows.

Despite there only being fourteen members to occasionally meander about the lonely halls, most of which who did not do any such wandering on a whim, the castle seemed to... be _alive_. Xion noticed it one day as she pattered along across polished floors with a hand tracing along a blank wall absentmindedly. Listening to the tip tap tipping of her heeled boots had become awfully dull on the slow trip from her room to the Grey Area, so she tapped her chin thoughtfully as she pondered the castle itself.

As eerie as her home was, she wasn't afraid of it. From what she gathered, emptiness and loneliness were things to be avoided. But apart from the few swishes of ebony coats and hastened slithering of a Dusk or two, the halls were empty- and peaceful. The rooms seemed to emanate a sort of presence not unlike the low hum of machine on off, or the nearly unnoticed ringing in one's ears. It was actually a sort of comfort to Xion so she could aimlessly wander without feeling alone. But what lurked outside the castle was another story.

She pressed her face close to the cool glass like a curious child, intently gazing at their -Roxas's and hers- magnificent creation with loathing. Xemnas, he was only using them... Tearing her blazing sapphire eyes away from it, she followed the baroque spires and bridges extending out like thin extremities in worship of the glorious Kingdom Hearts. Below it all was an endless pit of white. The swirling abyss of light threatened to swallow the entire castle from below in a deft gulp. It actually frightened her how near and vast it was. Who knew one could be so terrified of the light?

In stark contrast, they rested beside a dark city weaved into neon streaks and bleary shadows. Xion was told that it was home to "denizens of the dark." She never got the chance to discover exactly who these mysterious beings were. Was it in reference to Organization XIII? Perhaps the lower Nobodies rested inside its confines. Or something else... But fear, not quite irrational, and a slight lack of time prevented her from an expedition to the curious place.

Peeling her cold fingers and forehead from the glass, she rocked back on her heels slightly and stood silently as if in expectation. Expectation for an irritated Saïx to stride into the room and reprimand her in what she thought of as concealed enjoyment. But it was the middle of the night, maybe midnight- not that the black slate of a sky gave any indication otherwise- and Xion had chosen a late night stroll over sleeping and being sucked into another darkness-riddled nightmare. So she turned heel and headed back towards the thin hall leading away, loosely planning out her nighttime exploration.

With the others being in bed at the hour, it would be the perfect opportunity to catch a glimpse of their personal "hangouts." Xion didn't have such a thing in the castle, but she always considered the clocktower an equivalent. If they were as fond of their little getaways as she was of hers, it could prove to be an interesting trip.

Unfortunately, there wasn't much to see at first. Saïx's was a somewhat crescent shaped- Xion snorted at the observation- and glass encased room overlooked by Kingdom Hearts itself. How it fitted him so precisely was a bit unnerving, and she wondered if it was possible for members to change their chambers at will.

Luxord's was a flat, slanted plane jutting out the side of the castle, something Xion forced herself to find the semblance of a card to so the image fit. It was completely bare and only slightly touched by a few rays that crept over the castle's side.

Xigbar's seemed to be a personal shooting range with its open floor and surrounding upper level shaped so one could aim at targets below with ease. Considering the name, the Hall of Empty Melodies, she had first assumed it belonged to Demyx. Perhaps it did at one time but the one-eyed Nobody had either bribed or bullied him into giving it up; Xion couldn't be sure.

She was fairly sure that Xemnas's tower, where he could bathe in the sickly glow of Kingdom Hearts, was closest, but the only time she had seen it she had entered through a dark corridor. What she believed to be the passageway to it stood nearby on the upper floor of Xigbar's place of respite (though respite from what, she knew not. He always seemed to just be goofing off, but slightest hint of knowing and menace touched his lone amber eye from time to time almost unnoticeably).

Passing through the doorway raised goosebumps up her arms and caused the hairs on the back of her neck to lift up of their own accord. The castle usually had a constant temperature, but this particular room made her shiver at every step. Stagnant scarlet and deep violet enshrouded one another in the mass of thick air hovering over the floor. It looked like a poison seeping through the other rounded doorway, coming in to contaminate...

Xion finally took notice of the neat cluster of red and blue glowing beneath the haze from the floor in rows. Each was a square panel with a unique, grey image-Xion couldn't tell from where she stood shivering- inscribed in its center. Blue outnumbered red, which for some odd reason she was glad. A few strange doors leading to what looked like nothing jutted up from behind some. Boots scuffled over the smooth floor with muffled echoes as she came to the nearest blue panel.

_IX _

_The Melodious Nocturne_

Demyx's panel, then. What purpose did it serve?

A shuffle to the left and she found herself at another blue panel.

_VIII_

_The Flurry of Dancing Flames_

Axel. She could continue on from there without even looking at the inscriptions. Pointing to each- she barely dared raise a hand at all in the stiff silence- she counted in a murmur. One, two, three, four, f- It suddenly dawned on her. They were _graves_.

Each dull, dimly lit red belonged to the five members that left for Castle Oblivion and never came back. Many had long cracks running from top to bottom and side to side, and Zexion's was completely shattered. She could think of no member who would wish to desecrate his grave, especially in such a fashion, but then again, Organization XIII was convoluted by countless ploys and plotted coup d'états.

And for once in her life, she was completely and utterly convinced she was scared. Still standing next to Axel's panel, she stared at it with unwavering eyes as if it was going to flicker out if she even blinked. She wanted to shut her eyes tight, but fear and dissipating curiosity paralyzed her in an unmoving trance.

The hum the panels gave off was not the same as the living hum the rest of the castle gave off. It was a dead vibrating that jumped in sharp yet quiet inhalations jaggedly and then went inexplicably silent for long intervals of time. The air settled around the graves so densely she wanted to clutch at her throat and pry it out somehow from the outside.

Desperately trying to push away the suffocating trance, she forced thoughts from her mind in a torrent as a distraction.

At least if you had a grave, it meant you had a chance to live- they didn't know whether you'd disappear or otherwise.

She felt the tight hold on her loosen, and her eyes almost managed to slip away to some blank corner of the room.

Though Xemnas didn't have one, which could probably be accounted to the confidence in himself he held, within good reason in her eyes.

Her breath was normal again, her own, no longer in tune with the sporadically silent humming.

But if you didn't have one and weren't someone like Xemnas, then was your fate sealed?

Invisible shackles of old fear fell off her to be replaced by the new.

A deep sense of dread washed over her when she realized.

She didn't have a grave.

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><p><em>All I know is that I'd be scared out of my wits if I found a graveyard for the people I lived with in my house. But anyways. Thanks for reading, and your support is much appreciated. c:<em>


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